Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration County of San Bernardino Department of Public Works Colton Sanitary Landfill Final Closure/Post-Closure Maintenance Plan Colton, CA Lead Agency County of San Bernardino Department of Public Works Solid Waste Management Division 222 West Hospitality Ln San Bernardino, Ca 9415-0017 Technical assistance provided by: Lilburn Corporation 1905 Business Center Drive San Bernardino, CA 92408 June 2021 County of San Bernardino Department of Public Works Colton Sanitary Landfill - FCPMP INITIAL STUDY [This page intentionally left blank] County of San Bernardino Department of Public Works Colton Sanitary Landfill - FCPMP INITIAL STUDY TABLE OF CONTENTS ACRONYMS ............................................................................................................................. III SECTION 1 – INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 1 SECTION 2 – REGULATORY FRAMEWORK............................................................................ 6 SECTION 3 – DETAILED PROJECT DESCRIPTION ................................................................ 7 SECTION 4 – ENVIRONMENTAL CHECKLIST FORM ............................................................ 17 ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS POTENTIALLY AFFECTED .................................................... 20 1. AESTHETICS ................................................................................................................... 21 2. AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY RESOURCES ............................................................ 23 3. AIR QUALITY ................................................................................................................... 25 4. BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES ............................................................................................. 29 5. CULTURAL RESOURCES ............................................................................................... 32 6. ENERGY........................................................................................................................... 34 7. GEOLOGY AND SOILS .................................................................................................... 36 8. GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS ................................................................................... 40 9. HAZARDS AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS .................................................................... 43 10. HYDROLOGY AND WATER QUALITY ............................................................................. 46 11. LAND USE AND PLANNING ............................................................................................ 51 12. MINERAL RESOURCES .................................................................................................. 52 13. NOISE .............................................................................................................................. 53 14. POPULATION AND HOUSING ......................................................................................... 55 15. PUBLIC SERVICES .......................................................................................................... 56 16. RECREATION .................................................................................................................. 58 17. TRANSPORTATION ......................................................................................................... 59 18. TRIBAL CULTURAL RESOURCES .................................................................................. 62 19. UTILITIES AND SERVICE SYSTEMS .............................................................................. 66 20. WILDFIRE ......................................................................................................................... 68 21. MANDATORY FINDINGS OF SIGNIFICANCE ................................................................. 70 SECTION 5 – SUMMARY OF MITIGATION MEASURES ........................................................ 72 SECTION 6 - REFERENCES ................................................................................................... 74 June 2021 Page i County of San Bernardino Department of Public Works Colton Sanitary Landfill - FCPMP INITIAL STUDY TABLES Table 1 Closure Implementation Schedule ............................................................................... 14 Table 2 Surrounding Land Uses and Land Use Designations ................................................... 18 Table 3 Construction Emissions - Phase I Material Import ...................................................... 26 Table 4 Construction Emissions – Phase II Cover System Construction ................................. 27 Table 5 Greenhouse Gas Emissions – Phase I Material Import ................................................ 41 Table 6 Greenhouse Gas Emissions – Phase II Cover System Construction ........................... 41 FIGURES Figure 1 Regional Location ........................................................................................................ 2 Figure 2 Project Vicinity .............................................................................................................. 3 Figure 3 Site Plan ....................................................................................................................... 4 Figure 4 Final Grading Plan........................................................................................................ 8 Figure 5 Final Cover System ...................................................................................................... 9 Figure 6 Interim Cover Thickness Verification .......................................................................... 11 June 2021 Page ii County of San Bernardino Department of Public Works Colton Sanitary Landfill - FCPMP INITIAL STUDY ACRONYMS AB Assembly Bill AQMP Air Quality Management Plan BACM Best Available Control Measures BACT Best Available Control Technology CAP Corrective Action Plan CARB California Air Resources Board CCR California Code of Regulations CEC California Energy Commission CEQA California Environmental Quality Act Cfs Cubic feet per second CFR Code of Federal Regulations CH4 Methane CO Carbon Monoxide CO2 Carbon Dioxide CQA Construction Quality Assurance CSL Colton Sanitary Landfill EIR Environmental Impact Report ET Evapotranspiration FCP Final Closure Plan FCPMP Final Closure Post-Closure Maintenance Plan GHG Greenhouse Gases LCRS Leachate Collection and Removal System LEA Local Enforcement Agency LFG Landfill Gas LLDPE Linear Low-Density Polyethylene MTCO2e Metric Tons of CO2 equivalent MVSL Mid-Valley Sanitary Landfill N2O Nitrous Oxide NOx Nitrous Oxides OPR Office of Planning and Research PM Particulate Matter PVC Polyvinyl chloride ROG Reactive Organic Gases RWQBC Regional Water Quality Control Board SARWQCB Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board SB Senate Bill SCAB South Coast Air Basin SCAG Southern California Association of Governments SCAQMD South Coast Air Quality Management District SCE Southern California Edison SMBMI San Manuel Band of Mission Indians SWFP Solid Waste Facility Permit SWMD Solid Waste Management District TCR Tribal Cultural Resources USGS United States Geological Survey VMT Vehicle Miles Traveled WDR Waste Discharge Requirements June 2021 Page iii County of San Bernardino Department of Public Works Colton Sanitary Landfill - FCPMP INITIAL STUDY SECTION 1 – INTRODUCTION Background The Colton Sanitary Landfill (CSL) is located within the City of Colton approximately 1.5 miles south of Interstate 10 and less than one-mile northwest of Interstate 215 (Figure 1). Access to the facility is by Tropica Rancho Road from La Cadena Drive (Figure 2). The facility occupies approximately 113 acres of land including portions of Section 25, T1S, R5W; Section 31, T1S, R4W; and Section 30, T1S, R4W, of San Bernardino Baseline and Meridian. The permitted disposal footprint covers an area of approximately 82 acres. The refuse footprint includes lands owned by the County of San Bernardino Department of Transportation and Flood Control. The landfill is bounded by the Santa Ana River to the north and west and the La Loma Hills to the south and east. The County of San Bernardino Department of Public Works (County) Solid Waste Management Division (SWMD) is seeking approval of a Final Closure/Post-Closure Maintenance Plan (FCPMP) for the CSL (see Figure 3 Site Plan). A FCPMP was approved by CalRecycle in February 2016, the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board (SARWQCB) in July 2015, and the Local Enforcement Agency (LEA) in March 2015. The plan included an evapotranspiration (ET) final cover system utilizing belt-press soil imported from the Mid-Valley Sanitary Landfill (MVSL). Belt press soil is a byproduct of the Robertson’s Ready Mix Plant operations for aggregate recovery located at the MVSL. The design included a 3-foot thick ET cover placed over a 1-foot interim cover soil to meet the applicable regulatory standards prescribed in 27 CCR, Chapters 3 and 4 and 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Subpart F. Due to the lack of available belt-press material, cost of blending, and cost of importation, SWMD requested concurrence from the SARWQCB to use a Linear Low-Density Polyethylene (LLDPE) geomembrane with Closure Turf Ballast1 (Closure Turf) as an alternative to the approved final cover system. Facility Overview The CSL began operation in 1964 and ceased accepting waste on December 31, 2014. The landfill